Fred Hersch's Leaves Of Grass The Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center New York, NY September 15, 2017 Walt Whitman's Leaves Of Grass may be the ultimate contemplation on man's commonalities and singularities, underscoring what binds all of humanity and what distinguishes each of us as individuals. And so it's only fitting that Fred Hersch's celebrated musical meditation on the magisterial bard's magnum opus should not only explore said theme, but also amplify it, ...

Drummer Tom Rainey's reputation runs toward the outside." His worked with" resume speaks loudest perhaps from his collaborations with saxophonist Tim Berne--not a guy given to relaxing into a reverent take of, say, "What's New" or Stella By Starlight." So a set of the familiar standards from Rainey comes as a bit of a surprise. Tom Rainey Obbligato, featuring a trumpet/saxophone front line with a piano/bass/drums rhythm section line-up that has been the standard jazz combo since Charlie ...

According to Wikipedia, an extremophile is an organism that thrives in physically or geochemically extreme conditions that are detrimental to most life on Earth. By titling the second disc from his Quartet in this way you can't help but think that bassist Dominic Lash is drawing an analogy with the place of the improviser in the current commercially dominated environment, still persevering at the further reaches of the musical ecosystem. While Lash's quartet has persisted, the main change since the ...

Portugese pianist Mário Laginha has teamed up with British saxophonist and ex-Loose Tuber Julian Argüelles and Norwegian percussionist Helge Andreas Norbakken to record an album of captivating tunes, recorded in Porto, Portugal in July 2014.The first few plaintively wistful minutes of Mãos na Parede" undergo a sudden and unexpected step change into a playfully vibrant coda. The upbeat mood continues with Fisicamente" (translated as physically," the essence of which it undoubtedly portrays), the soprano and piano initially tracing ...

Drummer and Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen returns to his jazz roots for his first full-length Blue Note album, following the EP A Tribute to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. The Art Blakey arrangements married hard bop with an Afrobeat rhythmic sensibility: here the same approach is taken with original material (most of it composed and arranged by Allen and saxophonist Yann Jankielewicz). It's a big sound: a rhythm section with drums, bass, keyboards and guitar joined by five horns. ...

Monterey Jazz Festival Monterey, CA September 15-17, 2017 A Feast of Tributes, to Itself, Included The distinctly stunning California outpost that is Monterey has been in the news, and making cultural history, in various ways this year. Over the summer, the 50th anniversary of the Monterey Pop Festival was duly noted and feted with a special commemorative festival. Over in the realm of the tube (the New, Improved TV landscape), the dramatic ...

Umiversity of the Arts Z" Big Band Monterey Jazz Festival Monterey, CA September 17, 2017 [This article is a follow-up to the review of the Z" Band Reception and Kickoff Concert in Philadelphia on September 7. If you want to know a little more about the band, you can check out that review-Eds.] The famed Monterey Jazz Festival, celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, is the longest-running jazz festival ...